Autumn Memories
by Dragon'sHost
Summary: It's the little things that makes love grow, and before she knows it, Lucy has become an important part of Evergreen's life.
1. Harvest Festival

**This is the first of two drabble challenges I'm doing this month, where I write five-sentence pieces based around a prompt every day of the month. Since I'm starting a little late, I'll be posting one every hour until I'm caught up for today.**

 **I hope you enjoy these.**

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 _Prompt 1: Harvest Festival_

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It was a bittersweet time of the year for Evergreen, and the other members of her team. While everyone around them bustled about, preparing for the celebration to come, they had each taken to a different method of being unobtrusive as they could. Bickslow was helping to set up decorations, Freed was writing a string of protections on the floats for the parade, and Laxus mostly just stuck close to his grandfather, as if their efforts could erase the shame they still felt over the last Harvest Festival they'd spent with their guild.

Evergreen, for her part, didn't really know what to do with herself; previous Harvest Festivals had seen her concentrating on winning the Miss Fairy Tail pageant, but she had declined to enter this year and so found herself twiddling her thumbs instead.

That is, until she found Lucy on the verge of tears in the back room struggling mightily with the zipper for her intended costume, and pity overcame Evergreen's reticence – prompting her to approach the suffering blonde.


	2. Chill

**_Prompt: Chill_**

* * *

Teeth chattering, Lucy stiffly walked up to Evergreen after the parade had finished. "Thank you again for your help this morning with my costume," she said with her best effort at a smile, the clacking of her teeth and the violent shivers wracking her body making the attempt difficult.

Embarrassed by the praise, Evergreen offered her a half-smile of her own. "It was nothing, really; the real question we should be asking is why the Master makes us wear such scanty costumes for the parade just as it starts getting chilly at night."

The comment elicited a great laugh from Lucy, and Evergreen felt something warm inside of her at the sight, warding off her own chill.


	3. Treats

**_Prompt: Treats_**

* * *

"Evergreen, here!" Lucy announced happily, shoving a small wrapped package into Evergreen's hands.

The brunette took it automatically, bewilderment sweeping through her at Lucy's brazen approach. "What…?" she began to say, and then was abruptly cut off by the source of her confusion.

"They're treats I bought yesterday at the festival when I had a spare moment," Lucy informed her crisply, "and I thought you might like some since, you know, you helped me out yesterday."

Without waiting for a response, Lucy departed just as swiftly as she had arrived, leaving Evergreen alone to face down Freed and Laxus's intensely curious stares and Bickslow's grabby hands already reaching for the candy.


	4. Mushrooms

**_Prompt: Mushrooms_**

* * *

A perfect ring of mushrooms popped up in the guild's courtyard overnight, surrounding a small, misty vernal pool. Everyone in the guild knew better than to disturb the thing – a guild of human fairies knew better than to mess with the real deal (even Natsu) – but it was still a cause of great interest from the guild members all the same.

"Are these the poisonous kind?" Lucy wondered aloud, standing beside the Raijinshuu with her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the pink head of her partner approaching the ring for a better look.

"Who knows?" replied Evergreen. "But you should probably stop Natsu before he tries to eat them anyway."


	5. Cider

**_Prompt: Cider_**

* * *

Mirajane's fresh made apple and pear ciders were a popular commodity in the guild once autumn came around, and this year was no exception either. It wasn't like she brewed any of the hard variety, and yet it still remained a popular order during the season. Evergreen was no exception to the general rule, and she loved the heavenly, hot spiced liquid with a passion…which is why she was extremely disappointed to find that Mirajane had already sold out by the time she arrived at the guild in the morning. Resigned to waiting until the next day for any – since it took Mirajane several hours to make the large quantities the guild consumed – Evergreen was surprised when Lucy, sitting at the bar, passed her untouched mug of pear cider over to Evergreen.

"Go ahead and take it," she told her with a grin, "since I have to get going on a job anyway, I can just wait until later to get another."


	6. Drizzle

**_Prompt: Drizzle_**

* * *

Rain was the bane of anyone who wore glasses, and especially the drizzle that began to fall just before Evergreen was set to leave the guild for the evening. Luckily, Evergreen had thought to bring an umbrella with her today; she was just starting to open it when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned to find Lucy looking back at her sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't bring an umbrella today," Lucy confessed, mortification written across her entire body, "and I was wondering if I could I possibly share yours for part of the way…?"

Evergreen stared at Lucy's flushed face for a long moment, and then reluctantly nodded, asking her, "You live over on Strawberry Street, right?"


	7. Moon

**_Prompt: Moon_**

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"This is why you don't moon-gaze once it starts to get cold!" Evergreen overheard Wendy chide a certain sniffling celestial mage.

"But it was so pretty and clear out last night!" Lucy attempted to defend herself.

Wendy shoved a thermometer into her mouth, looking somewhat put out. "Go home and rest, please, or your fever will just get worse."

Evergreen couldn't resist snorting at the face Lucy made in response to the order.


	8. Fish

**_Prompt: Fish_**

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Evergreen stared blankly at the object held before her, its dead eye boring into her soul. "What's with the fish?" she asked, her eyes flicking over to Lucy's proud, grinning face.

"I went fishing with my team, and we caught a whole bunch so we're giving them away to all the guild members – this one is yours."

"I bet Happy cried," Evergreen muttered, but gratefully accepting her now-dinner all the same.

"Oh, he did."


	9. Frost

**_Prompt: Frost_**

* * *

The first hard frost of the season turned the world outside into a beautiful, frigid wonderland where the plants were crystals and geometric shapes were painted onto every window.

It also made the cobblestones roads of Magnolia _slippery as all hell_ , as Evergreen discovered to her detriment abruptly when a screech filled the morning air and something collided with the brunette's side – sending her hurtling to the ground and knocking all of the air from her lungs.

"I am… so, so sorry!" a familiar voice apologized as its owner scrambled to extricate herself from the irate woman's prone form. When Evergreen failed to immediately respond it only provoked an even greater babble of apologetic words from Lucy, becoming more and more unintelligible the longer it took for Evergreen to recover (which might have been a touch longer than strictly necessary – Lucy's face was hilarious).

Eventually, Evergreen relented, and allowed Lucy to help her to her feet… whereupon they both slipped and fell on top of each other again (maybe wearing heels in cold weather was something that they both needed to reconsider for the future).


	10. Autumn Crocus

**_Prompt: Autumn Crocus_**

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Evergreen sat upon a stool at the bar inside Fairy Tail, all of her muscles still sore from her repeated falls the day before with Lucy. A little ways down the bar, she could see Lucy chatting amicably with Mirajane – from what Evergreen could overhear, it sounded as if the rest of Lucy's team had gotten so hungry on their last job that they'd eaten some plants, and hadn't realized that the pretty purple Autumn Crocus was a deadly poison and were now paying for their mistake. Evergreen couldn't resist a snort upon hearing that Erza was involved in the fiasco as well, and soon she was grinning ear to ear from Lucy's story.

It was strange – suddenly it was like the celestial mage was everywhere in her life.

Not that Evergreen was… _complaining_ , exactly…


	11. Transformation

**_Prompt: Transformation_**

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"Is it just me, or is Lucy making excuses just to come over here and talk to you lately, Ever?" Bickslow commented idly, his eyes focused across the guild where Lucy was shaking her head at her teammates' antics.

"That does seem to be the case," Freed added with a smile. "Do you know what might have prompted this transformation?"

Bickslow turned to grin widely at the brunette, his voice sly, "Yeah, Ever… tell us!"

Evergreen spluttered incoherently at her friends' teasing, but their comments lodged in the back of her mind and just wouldn't go away, no matter how hard she tried to banish them.


	12. Crinkle

**_Prompt: Crinkle_**

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Lucy stood, frozen in place, as Evergreen stared her down. "C-come again?" Lucy squeaked, the job request held in her hands crinkling as her grip on it tightened.

"You and I are going on a job together," Evergreen commanded, reaching over and gently prying the request from Lucy's hands. "In fact, I think this one will do nicely."

"Good luck on the job, you two!" Mirajane told them cheerfully, stamping the request and sending them on their way, Evergreen's arm linked with Lucy's in a display of friendliness (but which was clearly intended to keep the flabbergasted blonde from fleeing).


	13. Frog

**_Prompt: Frog_**

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"Why would you pick a job involving a swamp at this time of year?" Evergreen grouched, picking her way across the soggy landscape.

"You didn't have to invite yourself along, you know," Lucy pointed out. "Speaking of, why did you?"

Evergreen opened and shut her mouth with a click of her tongue. "Whatever, it doesn't matter… and by the way, you have a frog in your hair."


	14. Alcohol

**_Prompt: Alcohol_**

* * *

That evening, Evergreen and Lucy chose to drown their sorrows over their shared job request at Fairy Tail's bar – the alcohol flowing freely not just where they sat, but all over the guild that night.

"Why wouldn't you tell me there was a frog on me sooner?!" lamented Lucy, already well on her way to being full-on plastered.

Her inhibitions repressed due to her own drinking, Evergreen practically snarled at her in response, "Well why do you keep trying to hang around me if you don't like being around me, then?"

Taking Evergreen by surprise, Lucy protested, "But I… but I do like you… before, I thought you were super intimidating… so I didn't know how to talk to you… but then you were… hic… so nice to meeeee… and I couldn't stop myself from talking to you, and then I…"

Her words suddenly trailing off, Lucy passed into blissful unconsciousness, leaving Evergreen to turn a furious shade of red as she stared at the celestial mage.


	15. Dark Forest

**_Prompt: Dark Forest_**

* * *

This was uncharted territory for Evergreen – like she was lost in a dark forest with no clear direction to take, with confusion and panic setting in _hard_. Lucy had confessed something staggering to her, and Evergreen had no clue how to handle it or how she should speak to the other woman from here on out. It didn't help that Lucy's words brought to mind a lot of questions that Evergreen just had no answer for – like for how long Lucy had wanted to interact with Evergreen. This wasn't exactly something she could ask her teammates about, either, since they were all about as equally awkward with this sort of thing as she was.

In the end, Evergreen just decided to accept Lucy's words at face-value, and make more of an effort to be the blonde's friend – she could worry over everything else later.


	16. Fallen Leaves

**_Prompt: Fallen Leaves_**

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The sound of crunching leaves filled the air as Lucy happily stomped her way down her street, her footfalls landing heavier than normal in order to induce maximum crunching.

"Is that strictly necessary?" Evergreen inquired of her, perplexed as to why the celestial mage was so intent on the destruction of the already dead vegetation on what was supposed to be a peaceful walk.

"It's just fun," was the only reply Evergreen received before her companion resumed her intense focus on her self-imposed mission. So focused was she on it, that Lucy had yet to realize that one of the leaves had fallen on her head, and rested upon her golden hair.

With a soft smile, and reminded heavily of what had happened with the frog, Evergreen reached over and removed it gently.


	17. Scarf

**_Prompt: Scarf_**

* * *

The sudden draping of fabric around her neck caused Evergreen to startle badly. Looking up, she saw Lucy smiling cheerfully down at her, seemingly unaware that she'd nearly given the other woman a heart attack. "What's this about, then?" Evergreen inquired, lifting one end of the fabric around her shoulders.

"Juvia's been teaching me to make scarves, and that one is yours," Lucy explained, before handing one out to the rest of Evergreen's team.

Evergreen contemplated the beautiful green scarf thoughtfully, not sure why she was a little upset that she wasn't the only person to receive one.


	18. Darkness

**_Prompt: Darkness_**

* * *

With the shortening days came the earlier and earlier onset of darkness upon Magnolia, and the deepening reluctance of the Fairy Tail mages to leave the warm, brightly lit confines of their guild hall to venture out into the cold.

"Come on, Ever, Lucy," Freed pleaded with his teammate and the blonde woman that was sharing a blanket with her on the couch. "Go home already, both of you; it's going to rain tonight – freezing rain – and no one wants you two to get sick."

"No," they chorused simultaneously, eyes full of stubborn defiance and snuggling further into the furniture.

The next morning, when Mirajane found them still in the cold and darkened guild, fast asleep in a tangled mess, she placed an extra blanket on them and left orders for them to not be disturbed.


	19. Hearth

**_Prompt: Hearth_**

* * *

Evergreen rubbed her hands together in front of the wood-burning stove in Lucy's apartment. Although it was by no means a roaring hearth, within the confines of the small residence it was more than warm enough for the chilled brunette.

Hanging up their coats to dry, Lucy offered Evergreen some tea to wrap her cold hands around. The other woman happily accepted, and sat down at the table with her new, tentative friend.

The evening passed in good cheer, and Evergreen didn't leave until both her heart and body were equally warm throughout.


	20. Equinox

**_Prompt: Equinox_**

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"The autumn equinox?" Evergreen inquired, curiously watching Lucy as she set up a magic circle in her apartment.

"Yeah, all celestial events are celebrated by celestial wizards; equinoxes in particular are used for reviewing and revising contracts with our spirits," Lucy explained with a final inspection of the circle. Satisfied with her handiwork, she looked up at her guest and smiled sheepishly, an apology falling off her lips. "Sorry about the wait – would you like some tea?"

"I'm just happy that you invited me to watch… and yes, I'll take some tea," Evergreen told her with a smile.


	21. Chestnuts

**_Prompt: Chestnuts_**

* * *

Evergreen turned out her pockets and laid the contents on the table, the brown nuts rolling along the surface and only stopped at the edge by her teammates' quick reflexes.

"Quite the haul this year, Ever," Laxus observed, as the flood of chestnuts failed to recede as Evergreen continued to add even more to the pile from her overburdened pockets.

"You know me," she sighed in relief now that she was finally free of them all, "I can't stop myself from picking them up when I see them."

"This is an absurd number of chestnuts, though," Freed muttered.

"Lucy helped a bit," Evergreen explained, understanding beginning to shine in her teammates' eyes.


	22. Cold Nose

**_Prompt: Cold Nose_**

* * *

"Your nose is bright red," Lucy informed Evergreen with a bright glimmer of mischief in her brown eyes. She emphasized the point by reaching out and gently tapping it with her fingertip.

Evergreen felt the rest of her face rapidly turning red, but with heat instead of the cold this time, and she scowled at the blonde. The fearsome look failed at eliciting the reaction she wanted from Lucy, and instead the other woman just grinned back at her.

The brunette felt the corner of her mouth twitch upward against her will.


	23. Wheat

**_Prompt: Wheat_**

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Taking what promised to be a short job with her team, Evergreen found herself staking out a hill overlooking farmlands plagued with birds too large and dangerous for the normal scarecrow or mage to ward off. For now, all was quiet and Evergreen was alone under the bright blue sky.

It was peaceful, she decided, and very beautiful. The chill hanging in the air only seemed to sharpen the image.

The sunlight glinting off the golden stalks of wheat made her think of Lucy's hair, a smile creeping onto her face at the realization.


	24. Pinecones

**_Prompt: Pinecones_**

* * *

"Get back here, Happy!" Evergreen snarled at the swooping blue cat, her glasses held in his paws.

He sniggered as her grasping hands failed to reach him, and she stood fuming in the park, painfully aware of the laughs and gazes of her guild mates at her predicament. She could turn the cat into stone, but she was afraid that if she did that while he was in midflight he would fall and shatter when he hit the ground – he was a pest, to be sure, but Evergreen still didn't want to inadvertently kill him (or destroy her glasses in the process).

She glanced down in surprise as something rough was pressed into her hand.

"Sometimes," Lucy intoned beside her with deadly calm as she passed Evergreen another three pinecones, "the only way to teach the dumb cat a lesson is by knocking him out of the sky with whatever projectile you can find."


	25. Melancholy

**_Prompt: Melancholy_**

* * *

Sometimes this season hit Evergreen hard. It was a difficult reminder of the crime she and her teammates had committed against their guild family. Melancholy would creep up on her, and before she knew it she would be ensnared in its strangling vines – robbed of breath and frozen in place.

Although… this year hadn't been nearly so bad for her.

Evergreen thought that she might have Lucy to thank for that.


	26. Owl

**_Prompt: Owl_**

* * *

Levy blinked up at Evergreen like an owl, her eyes wide behind her gale-force reading glasses and her book slipping from her fingers with a thud.

"Did I stutter?" Evergreen inquired, her mood already deteriorated greatly in her frustration over her failed search – she didn't need to look for Levy's voice as well as a gift for Lucy.

"Um… uh…" Levy stuttered, before she finally regained control of her tongue, "she… she likes books about the stars a lot...?"

"So helpful," grumbled the brunette as she turned away from her guildmate.

Just before Evergreen reached the door, Levy called out to her, "I thought you might want to know that she also likes the café on Willow Avenue!"


	27. Fog

**_Prompt: Fog_**

* * *

Dense and damp and heavy, the fog engulfed the whole of Magnolia well past when it normally would have burned off. It was a sign that winter might arrive earlier than normal this year.

The fog made navigating the streets a bit of a chore; with Evergreen's field of vision limited so badly, it rendered the familiar roads and buildings alien in the half-light and quiet that hung over the city.

She was about to give up on finding her way to the guild for the day and attempt to make her way back home, when she suddenly found herself along the canal in front of a building she _did_ recognize.

Well… Lucy probably wouldn't mind the intrusion, Evergreen told herself as she walked up to her door and knocked.


	28. Feast

**_Prompt: Feast_**

* * *

It was amazing just how much stuff got caught in Lucy's hair, Evergreen couldn't help but marvel. Where did she even _find_ glitter – none of the decorations they had helped put up for Fairy Tail's autumn feast had any glitter on them.

Lucy noticed Evergreen's gaze, and mouthed across the table, "Is there something in my hair?"

After a quick internal debate, Evergreen shook her head at the blonde.

Better to leave it be when there wasn't any real way to remove it; besides, the light catching on the glitter made it seem like Lucy's hair was full of stardust.


	29. Reflection

**_Prompt: Reflection_**

* * *

Lucy sighed in happiness, sinking deeper into the water. Evergreen kept a careful eye on the blonde just in case she got too comfortable in the warm water – and on the deflated spirit in the Fairy Hills' bath with them.

"You know," Lucy stated, startling Evergreen slightly, "I've been reflecting on the past couple of months and… I have to say that I'm really glad that I've gotten to spend so much time with you."

Touched, and rendered largely inarticulate by the strength of the emotion, Evergreen mumbled a grateful, "Thank you… I feel the same."

Then she paused, took a deep breath and asked, "But seriously, is Plue really okay, because I think he's melting."


	30. Quilt

**_Prompt: Quilt_**

* * *

In Evergreen's family, it was a big deal to give a quilt as a gift to someone, or to receive one in return. It was founded on the notion that with love sewn into every stitch and square the receiver would be protected against all manner of ills. Although the superstition likely stemmed from having a mage in the family history with that particular ability, it was still a powerful tradition that had been woven into Evergreen's heart and soul.

Because of their importance, and the time it took to make them, there were really only a few occasions upon which they were given: to children on their naming day, to ill relatives… and to lovers.

Since Lucy was by no means a child, and given also that she was in perfect health, it really only left one option as to why Evergreen was getting the powerful urge to give one to the celestial mage.


	31. Samhain

I cheated a little on this final chapter - it's seven sentences long instead of five.

I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

 ** _Prompt: Samhain_**

* * *

The party that Fairy Tail would throw whenever Samhain came around was a much anticipated event for the guild and its friends, and the ensuing festivities would last all night before culminating in the entire guild watching the sunrise together. Given that the celebration had its roots in pathways opening to the Otherworld, fairies, and that it fell on the midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, it was an incredibly important event for celestial wizards and for Lucy in particular. At one point during the celebrations, Evergreen managed to spot at least five or six of Lucy's spirits partying with Fairy Tail, and she was sure at least a few others she didn't see had as well.

When it finally came time to watch the sunrise, however, Evergreen was surprised to find Lucy setting up next to her, and with none of her spirits or her team in evidence.

"I hope you don't mind," Lucy told her, sitting considerably closer to Evergreen than she strictly needed to, "but I wanted to watch the sunrise… with you."

Evergreen's cheeks warmed, and she passed a part of her quilt over for the blonde to share with her in the early morning chill. "I don't mind at all."

If at some point anyone noticed that Lucy's hand found its way to Evergreen's and her head onto the brunette's shoulder, they didn't remark upon it.


End file.
